<p style="text-align: justify">The arrival of the warm weather usually heralds the start of the BBQ season. Summer evenings spent enjoying food cooked on a barbecue are always fun, and are one of the quintessential seasonal activities we all take part in.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Barbecues can be a messy business though, which isn&#8217;t great news for your garden. Food waste, scorching hot charcoal and spillages can be messy and potentially do some serious damage. So how can you make sure that your garden remains as beautiful as it did before your barbecue, without scrimping on the fun?</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Clear the area</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">If you are planning a barbecue, it&#8217;s important to think about the location. Do you have a patio? If you do and you are planning to set up your barbecue and guests on it, it may be worth moving any plant pots or garden ornaments to a safe location. The same can be applied to the rest of your garden. Decide early on exactly where everything is going to take place, and then take the appropriate steps to make sure that anything that you don&#8217;t want damaged is moved to a safe location, such as a garden shed.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Litter </strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">Paper plates, leftover food and plastic glasses are often found littered on the ground after a garden grill-up. Short of banning food and drink altogether, how do you combat the problem? Firstly, be clear with your guests that throwing their unwanted rubbish onto the ground is a big no-no. If they know how strongly you feel about this, then chances are they will think twice before becoming litter bugs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">So where do you put the rubbish? You can hardly ask your guests to hang onto it all night. Invest in some large plastic bins, which you can pick up from most DIY stores or garden centres. Print some bright, colourful and easy to read signs that read <em>litter goes in here! </em>Or something to that effect. Attach those to your bins and voila! You have a clear and easy to understand system for your guests to use.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Protect the ground</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">The ground is going to bear the brunt of any damage caused by your barbecue, and you should take care to protect it. A temporary surface such as a trakmat will create a barrier between the ground and any falling objects, greatly preventing and reducing any damage. Plastic sheets or towels can be laid onto the ground, but as these are soft and light, they may move around, providing you with less secure protection.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Ready, steady, Cook! </strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">Once you have taken the necessary steps to protecting your garden during any gatherings, there&#8217;s no reason why you can&#8217;t enjoy a barbecue. As we all know, we need to take advantage of the summer weather while it lasts! Taking steps that seem drastic may put you off of implementing them, but taking these steps now will prevent any expensive clear-ups or repairs afterwards! There&#8217;s nothing worse than knowing that you have a lot of cleaning up to do, after all!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Henry Savage is the Director for All Weather Access, a ground protection specialist based in Dunmow, Essex and supplies trakmats for purchase and hire to ensure your garden is protected</p>

BBQ Season: How To Protect Your Garden
